Mar 14, 2008 | blog
It’s time has come, or passed rather… at least for me. I’m sure I’ll cross paths with my favorite email client and PIM in the future. I’ll either have a change of heart (unlikely) or a future client will insist that I use it for internal email at their location (very likely).
For all those anti-Microsoft folks that love to hear things like this, I simply have to say that it has little to do with the product. It does have everything to do with the way I work. As I transition much of my work online, I’m finding that I use more than one or two computers. Since it’s much harder to sync all the data on all these machines, and the fact that I simply can’t do this on some, leads me to world of cloud computing.
This is nothing new for me, I’ve been an advocate of leveraging the cloud for years, but it’s the first concerted effort to simply migrate my data and shift my app usage online. Yes this includes office productivity solutions as well. I’ll be using a lot of both Google Apps and Zoho Office. Both have their strong points and I’m aiming to leverage both for different reasons.
I’ve got most of my data on either XDrive or SkyDrive for differing reasons, and use Box.net as well for some always accessible drivers, tables, code snippets, and such.
I’ll keep MS Office Pro installed, but it’s use is limited to supporting my clients – nothing more. So join me, if you wish, and see how well this works out! I’ll share my frustrations and my wins equally with you.
Have you been thinking of doing the same? What are your directions on how you work, looking into the future?
Mar 7, 2008 | blog
This is really just a fun comparison that I wanted to do. I’ve had an HTC Wizard (My T-Mobile MDA) for the past two years and it’s been my grab-n-go mobile solution all that time. Along with the HTC Wizard, I use the ThinkOutside (iGo?) Bluetooth Keyboard and Stowaway Bluetooth Mouse to great success.
But with great software, usable keyboard, and highly useful mouse, it still isn’t a great performer, and is missing that full browser experience that is crucial to a web worker.
There really is no contest, but here goes:
vs.
| T-Mobile MDA | Asus Eee PC 4G |
| 200MHz | 900MHz |
| 64MB RAM | 512MB RAM |
| 802.11b/g WiFi | 802.11g WiFi |
| 128MB ROM | 4GB SSD |
| 240×320 | 800×480 |
| Slide-out Keyboard | Clamshell, full keyboard |
| MiniUSB for sync/charging only | 3 USB 2.0 |
| Bluetooth 1.1 | No Bluetooth |
| QuadBand GSM/GPRS/EDGE | No mobile data service |
| Windows Mobile 5 | Linux (Windows XP compatible) |
| MiniSD Slot | SD Slot (with SDHC support) |
The biggest thing about either of these devices is realizing that they are an access terminal, or “Cloud Computer” in popular terminology. If you can get away from the idea that you need to have serious storage space, keep your entire music library, or have every conceivable tool you’ll ever need with you at all times, then this type of device will work for you.
In fact this is not limited to these two devices – add in the Nokia N800 series devices, UMPCs, MacBook Air, Everex Cloudbook and other such capable systems. The idea is that you are connected to the Internet (the cloud) and the majority of your data and tools are located there – accessible from anywhere on anything.
The biggest plus for solutions like the Eee PC or Everex Cloudbook is that they run real, modern operating systems, have very useable screens & keyboards, and rely on fast connections like WiFi. Solutions like my HTC Wizard and related devices are handicapped mostly by screen & keyboard size.
Even so, for the common, basic tasks I have used that T-Mobile MDA for over two years, written many blog posts, performed hundreds of Internet activities, along with the usual meetings, notes, calls, and pictures. But I needed to carry three pieces of equipment to get a useable mobile access terminal – something that the Eee PC class of device is putting in a 2lb. clamshell that is no larger than a modern paperback. You seriously just grab it and go – there is nothing more to think about.
I’m curious on your devices and feedback though. What are your thoughts? Have you tried an Eee PC or similar devices? Have you used a Windows Mobile based device like the HTC Wizard for the same function? How successful has it been for you? What would you recommend to others?
Oh yeah, wondering what device wins in my book? The Eee PC. Cheers!
Dec 26, 2007 | blog
Up here in Minnesota, we quite often get some good winter storms. Because of these, travel can become quite difficult. Not just because of the snow & slush that accumulates on the roadways, but because of the population growth of the Twin Cities as well.
I’ve long driven in from the fringe suburbs, or more rural areas to work in the "cities" (as we call the combination of Minneapolis & St. Paul). This is the first year that I’ve gotten truly frustrated with the traffic experience tough. So lately I’ve been working from home, or even more enjoyable, from conveniently located coffee shops in many locations.
The ability to work from these remote locations constantly amazes me – even though I work in technology, specifically in regards to making these options available to the general worker. The flexibility afforded the worker that has no real ties to a physical location is what makes it a powerful tool for them when the occasion warrants.
The real "trick" for remote access solutions to work for a business is for the business to really believe that their people can work outside the office. This can be very hard for many businesses with a "traditional" point of view on working. Many believe that if they can see their people at their desks "working" then that person is probably wasting time, or otherwise being unproductive.
While this can be true, its the flexibility and freedom that helps motivate and empower the individual worker that makes working remotely a benefit to an organization rather than a risk. When managers and supervisors believe in their team members, and allow them to structure their own day according to their natural work rhythms real productivity will become quite obvious.
So here I sit at a global coffee chain writing about working remotely – using the tools and technology that makes it possible. Once again, just amazed, and enjoying it.
Jul 17, 2007 | happiness
Happiness is requiring only a cell phone, laptop, Wi-Fi, and a coffee shop to get the job done.
